How Can I Improve My Memory

As a student you have probably asked yourself ‘How can I study better for the test?’ The answer to this question is improve your memory.
Remember, what is done to our bodies influences how our mind works. Several outside forces can affect one's memory. As has been established with other functions of the body, diet is linked to memory. Memory is also affected by lack of physical exercise and of course, there are foreign substances we put into our bodies. Drugs, alcohol, and even prescription drugs can have a negative effect. If it affects our bodies it can affect our memory. Injuries, traumatic events, even diseases can affect memories. Inadequate stimulation both mental and spiritual have also been shown to damage our minds, bodies and emotions.

Let us look at the life stressors in connection with memory. If your life is unorganized and over packed with activities, this will impact your memory. Constant turmoil and never allowing yourself adequate care will cause your memory to be negatively affected. You must first take stock of your priorities. Think about how well you care for your mind and body. Maybe you think a quick rush to the gym will do the trick. The main word here is 'rush'.

Rushing around is one area where we cause our mental health to suffer. Rushing is something that can become a bad habit because it causes long-term turmoil that is not beneficial. Some people have become so accustomed to rushing through their day they have to actually be taught how to achieve a smoother, more relaxing routine.

More than one area may have to be changed to obtain memory improvement. Proper blood flow and plenty of oxygen are two factors that must not be overlooked. You can achieve these with exercise and by learning breathing exercises. These activities can help clear your mind and relieve stress. Even if the results are only temporary, they are still an important start on your journey to memory improvement.

Another important stage is eating properly. A well-rounded diet can be beneficial in many ways. The diet can affect the physical health and since the mind depends on the body to work at its best for the mind to work well it only follows, if you aren't in good physical health, how can you be in the best health mentally?

Think about your living environment. A dirty home can affect your memory. Maybe it hard to believe, but it can. A clean home doesn't just look better, it can increase your happiness and sense of peace. If your senses are constantly subjected to anything negative, it will begin to affect your brain health. A clean home will calm you and allow your mind and memory to focus on more productive positive thoughts.
Not only does the sight of your clean home allow improvement in your life, the smell can be uplifting as well. Besides cleaning supplies bring out those candles, potpourri, or room sprays.

What to look for when choosing a how-to book

When you start your search for how to do something you will find there are many resources out there. You have a choice of online courses, seminars and even one-on-one training but sometimes the best way to learn is the old-fashioned way. This way is reading a book.

The marketplace abounds with how-to books on subjects from making money to planting roses and many people new to a subject find them the best way to learn. Books allow people to re-read passages that have a lot of information like math or science as many times as they need to fully grasp the concepts. You can see why a book has an advantage if you imagine asking the speaker at a large seminar to repeat themselves.

The question is, which how-to book should you read? Most any field you choose has its share of pretenders and fakes, so be wary of any book that makes outrageous claims in its title. If you see statements on the cover like ‘Be a pro in an hour!’ or ‘Make millions while you sleep!’ be cautious. If a how-to book promises something that’s too good to be true, it probably is. Be realistic and if the book downplays or neglects inherent risk, you should skip it.

What you want in a how-to book instead is calm, reasonable, practical advice. Flashy language suggests the writer is trying to pull a fast one. If at anytime you wonder ‘If it’s SO EASY to make millions of dollars doing something, why is this guy writing books about it instead of doing it?’ think is this a good source for information. Restrained, logical language suggests the writer knows what their talking about and is simply explaining what they have learned.

Take note also of the book’s presentation. You want a book that’s likely to be reliable and up-front about the pros and cons. Don’t be afraid to question a book riddled with grammar and spelling errors. It is better to trust a book that appears to have been written and edited by professionals, and presented in a straightforward manner.

As a final point, whenever considering any how-to book, it’s worth a few minutes to Google the author’s name and find out the results. Look for reviews beyond those found on the author’s website. See if the author has been mentioned in any news stories. Pay attention to his or her background to see if he or she has any real-world experience, or do they just write books. Remember, you can find a book about almost any subject just choose substance over hype.

Diet Matters

You will be glad to know there is an easy, but often neglected, way to improve and help you achieve success. Whether you work during the day and go to school at night or vice versa, a day of your life should be divided into stages to assure you get the right food for great performances. It doesn’t matter if you work form 9 to 5 or not you can adjust you food for the best results.

Day laborer
If you are a day person, you are on your feet the entire day so the amount of physical effort you are making is great. Your body needs energy from morning till evening. You must keep the sugar level stable with the help of complex hydro-carbonates. You will stay strong if you start your day with cereals and milk, eat soup and vegetables with cheese for lunch and in the evening have some lasagna and salad.

Night worker
If you are a night worker your schedule extends into the morning hours. You need food for feeling ok and fighting depression that can often occur during nights. Vitamin B1 is what you need to keep you satisfied all night. Your ‘day’ should start out with a breakfast of bread and honey. Lunch should consist of pasta and vegetables. End your ‘day’ with a dinner of chicken barbecue and salad.

Mental people
If you are a mental laborer then you are performing intense mental tasks with little physical exertion. Your body needs “intelligent” food, rich in vitamins B and C to give energy to the brain and nerves. For breakfast have bananas and yogurt, at lunch scrambled eggs and toasted bread and for dinner potatoes, fish and vegetables.

No matter what your job is, you should always have enough energy to perform it well. You won’t get fat, but you have to eat as much as you need in order to not feel hungry while at work. Not being hungry will clearly affect your performance positively.

How Are You Investing Your Time

Time is the most precious commodity we have because it is the greatest equalizer of human beings. We will lose if we don’t admit this and treat time with respect. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, healthy or sick you only have 24 hours a day.
Most of the time, we waste our time and energy worrying and thinking about trivial things. When we do this we usually forget about important things. A wise man will tell you “You can always make more money, but you can never buy more time”.
How often have you looked at the ways you invest your time? The word “investment” is very accurate because the way you choose to spend your time is a true investment in yourself and your life. People usually spend hours in front of the TV, or they spent a lot of time browsing the internet with no purpose. Some of us even try to trade time at the cost of sleep hours that could benefit our health. If you wake up earlier in the morning just to smoke a few cigarettes and fill up with coffee so you won’t feel sleepy it doesn’t mean you won any quality time. Also, inefficient work or spending more hours at work that you have to is equal to allowing someone else to have a loan of your life.
People sometimes say things like: “I’m just counting the hours to go home” or “I wish it were Friday”. These are signs that they usually waste their time. If you organize your time efficiently and if you choose to do only activities that motivate you somehow, then you will find yourselves able to work everyday without feeling tired or sleepy.

At any moment that you just let time pass by think about what the Roman people used to say ‘Carpe Diem’. Loosely translated ‘Live the day’. Make time to analyze the way you invest or waste your time. And never forget that you can’t see tomorrow so “Carpe Diem!”

STRIVE TO LEARN MORE

People sometimes find it hard to keep up and learn everything they are supposed to. This is especially true when they are learning about things that they have no interest in. Here are some tips to take you out of the they category. First, you need to not give up and use various methods to learn more.
Get a mentor/tutor
Whenever you see you can’t handle an assignment or you can’t get any further with it, you should consider getting a mentor/tutor. Many environments are meant for all and the group cannot wait for a few to catch up. The structure just does not allow it even if the individual falling behind is gifted but just slower.
Do not get mad
You are probably already upset if you have failed. To keep yourself from losing all interest in learning don’t get mad but sad. This change of emotion to a positive one is a step in the right direction. Focus on making yourself and others happy by improving your performance not dwelling on past failure.
Reward good performance
This has a good and a bad side. A good one where you gain interest partly because you realize it gives you and others pleasure and a bad side where you will become motivated in all things because of material rewards. You need it be careful when rewarding yourself so it does not become your only motivation.
Live a healthy life
A healthy life is good for us all. If you get enough sleep, eat right and are emotionally balanced the chances are that you will perform better.

People by nature. desire and need competition and, learning is a competition. You are not up against someone else as much as you are competing against yourself.

Methods of Home Schooling

The controversy of home schooling vs. traditional classes might never be resolved. Similarly the correct method of home schooling might not find a definitive solution but the more we know the better it will be to make an informed decision. Maybe if look at them with an open mind we might able to apply a little of these methods to ourselves.

Many people believe home schooling is two or three children sitting at a table, writing in their workbooks, while mom or dad stands nearby. The truth is there are different methods of home schooling that differ greatly from this notion. Below are some of the most influential and popular home schooling methods.

The Charlotte Mason method:
Known as the founder of the home schooling movement Charlotte Mason was a home schooler herself. Her passion was to lay out the foundations for an effective home schooling program. A need to be both fun and educational at the same time was essential. This method encourages a passionate awareness of literature, so beginning at the age of six the child is read to daily from a variety of classical literature. After this, the child is asked to narrate what they have heard. Then by ten the child is expected to write their narrations in a book. Mason believed that development of good character and behavior was essential to the complete development of the child's personality. With this in mind she advocated the use of 'Nature Diaries'. After each lesson the child is asked to go to nature and draw observations. This way the child gains a sense of respect for the environment.

The Eclectic Home schooling method:
A mixture of various home schooling techniques where the innovative parents trust their own judgment. Curriculums are improvised in most Eclectic home schooling Parents pick out the topics that make the best curriculum for their child. These parents are constantly looking for the best products to meet the needs of their home schoolers. The basic curriculum is ready-made but parents make changes to accommodate the individual needs and interests of their children. The child's gifts, temperament, learning style and interests are all considered when deciding the curriculum. Eclectic programs include visits to the museum, libraries and factories.

Unschooling method:
The most unstructured of the various home schooling techniques this method is a hands-on approach to learning. John Holt, a Boston public educator, believed that children learned best when they are free to learn at their own pace, guided by their own interests. His message was the beginnings of the unschooling method. The parent takes cues from the children with no definite curriculum, schedules or materials.

The Montessori method:
Starting in Italy, it was observed that children have acute sensitive periods, during which they undergo periods of intense concentration. During these periods, a child will repeat an activity till he gains a measure of self-satisfaction. This method depends on a prepared setting to encourage learning. All the materials used in the Montessori method are designed with the goal to satisfy the inner desire for spiritual development of the child. The materials used range from simple to complex, and are rather expensive.

No matter what method is used, the underlying factor is flexibility and a keen interest in the desires of the student. In any stage of our life we can adapt these methods not only for others but ourselves. The desire for knowledge should be the guide to further education.